HARDY PLANTS. 
205 
colours may be obtained from a mixed packet of seed of a 
good strain such as is sold by leading seedsmen. Seeds may 
be sown from May to August on a shady border outdoors, 
the seedlings being transplanted as soon as large enough to 
handle 4in. apart each way in a shady spot. Let them remain 
there till autumn, then plant in beds between bulbs or in 
masses in borders. Or seeds may be sown in gentle heat 
in March, the seedlings pricked off into boxes, gradually 
hardened oft and planted out in a reserve border till autumn. 
The plants require a rich moist soil to grow and flower freely. 
As soon as they have flowered, lift, divide and replant in reserve 
beds till autumn. Polyanthuses do best in partial shade. 
Primrose (Primula vulgaris). — The Common Yellow Prim- 
rose of our banks and copses is often grown to a large 
extent in gardens, and a very pretty and showy plant it is. 
They may be naturalised on shady plants or in woodland 
gardens. If the seed be scattered about when ripe an abun- 
dant crop of seedlings will come up as a rule. Very beautiful, 
too, are the coloured varieties. A good strain of these will 
yield flowers of various tints, ranging from red, lilac, rose, 
mauve to a bluish-lilac shade. These coloured varieties have 
become very popular of late years for spring bedding, massing 
in borders, and naturalising in the grass and in woodland 
and wild gardens. When naturalised they freely reproduce 
themselves from seed, and form a brilliant mass of rich colour 
in spring. Besides the single kinds there are also a number 
of charming double-flowered varieties. The most striking- 
varieties of the latter are Carnea plena, salmon-pink ; Alba 
plena, white ; Croussei, purplish-lilac, white edge ; lilacina 
plena, lilac ; lutea plena, golden yellow ; purpurea plena, 
reddish-purple ; sulphurea plena, sulphur ; Cloth of Gold, 
lemon-yellow ; platypetala plena, violet ; and Crimson Velvet, 
crimson. There are also named varieties of the single kinds, 
but as these are not likely to remain so constant as the double 
we refrain from mentioning them in detail. The singles are 
easily reared from seed sown in pans or shallow boxes of light 
soil in a cold frame in spring, afterwards planting the seed- 
lings out a few inches apart in a shady border, and finally 
transplanting into their flowering positions in autumn. The 
above advice applies to choice sorts only. For ordinary pur- 
poses sow the seeds in May or June on a shady bed or border, 
lightly rake in the seeds, and keep the soil moist, and when 
the seedlings can be handled transplant them as advised for 
those raised in frames. The best of the single sorts, if grown 
in beds or borders, may be lifted after flowering, divided and 
replanted in a shady border to make large plants for flowering 
